Best homes for viewing The Bay Lights

The lowly Bay Bridge, so often overlooked for its flashier neighbor The Golden Gate, or mistaken for same by color-blind tourists, will finally have its glory days — or rather, glory nights — in March when The Bay Lights turns the West Span into a two-year art installation.

Two years is a long time for a light show. Long enough that it might even figure into your home-buying choices. Today, we look at Bay Area homes that should provide great views of The Bay Lights. Of course, buyers of these homes might also want to invest in some quality drapes. We are talking about 25,000 white LED lights, displaying programmed patters from dusk to midnight every night. They say they won’t be unpleasantly bright, but, just sayin’ — some nights you might want to go to bed early.

Not just any house or condo with a view of the bridge will be a good spot for viewing the lights. In San Francisco, the show will be seen only from homes where you can see the bridge from the north the waterfront area north of the bridge. During testing, the lights have been seen from many parts of Marin County, and will probably be visible from parts of Treasure Island as well, said spokeswoman Barbara Zamost. Of course, boats on the Bay will afford some of the best views.

Photo: Alain Pinel

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Step out onto the balcony of this 2-bedroom, 2-bath South Beach condo at 338 Spear St. for a picture-perfect Bay Bridge view. Even better, the balcony looks pretty small so you won't feel pressured into having big nightly viewing parties.
Asking price: $1.779 million. less

Step out onto the balcony of this 2-bedroom, 2-bath South Beach condo at 338 Spear St. for a picture-perfect Bay Bridge view. Even better, the balcony looks pretty small so you won't feel pressured into having ... more

Photo: Alain Pinel

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It's not that easy to see in the photo, but the listing for this Millennium Tower unit at 301 Mission St. boasts of floor-to-ceiling views of the Bay Bridge.

It's not that easy to see in the photo, but the listing for this Millennium Tower unit at 301 Mission St. boasts of floor-to-ceiling views of the Bay Bridge.

Photo: Alain Pinel

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You should even be able to enjoy the light show from bed in the Millennium Tower property.
The 2-bedroom, 3.5-bath unit is listed for $6.6 million.

You should even be able to enjoy the light show from bed in the Millennium Tower property.
The 2-bedroom, 3.5-bath unit is listed for $6.6 million.

Photo: Alain Pinel

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At Hills Plaza, 75 Folsom St., this shared deck would give you a full view of the show anytime you feel like going up to the roof.
A 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom apartment in the building is pending sale at $599,000 -- about a hundred thou more than it sold for just a year ago. less

At Hills Plaza, 75 Folsom St., this shared deck would give you a full view of the show anytime you feel like going up to the roof.
A 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom apartment in the building is pending sale at $599,000 ... more

Photo: Alain Pinel

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A unit in this building at 1441 Montgomery St., with expansive Bay Bridge views, is pending sale for $4.82 million. The listing says the building has units of multiple sizes and does not specify how many bedrooms are in the one that is pending sale. less

A unit in this building at 1441 Montgomery St., with expansive Bay Bridge views, is pending sale for $4.82 million. The listing says the building has units of multiple sizes and does not specify how many ... more

Photo: Alain Pinel

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Why settle for a view of the light show framed by a window when you can recline on an outdoor couch and see the whole thing?

Why settle for a view of the light show framed by a window when you can recline on an outdoor couch and see the whole thing?

Photo: Alain Pinel

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In Sausalito, there are actually single family homes from which you could watch the light show, as from this terrace view. This 3-bedroom, 2-bath house at 301 4th St. has a 1-bedroom, 1-bath in-law unit attached.
It's listed for $1.55 million. less

In Sausalito, there are actually single family homes from which you could watch the light show, as from this terrace view. This 3-bedroom, 2-bath house at 301 4th St. has a 1-bedroom, 1-bath in-law unit ... more

Photo: Alix Fagersten, Decker Bullock Sotheby's International Realty

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Best homes for viewing The Bay Lights

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Carrie Kirby is a freelance writer who recently returned to the Bay Area after living for six years in Chicago. Carrie is more heavily invested in real estate than she ever expected to be, since she and her husband are now long-distance landlords of their Chicago home, and have also purchased a house in Alameda. She posts about interesting properties and real estate trends in San Francisco and Silicon Valley every Tuesday. Carrie also shares money-saving tips on her blog, Frugalistic Mom.